Political scientists talk about the “Overton window” — the range of policies that are regarded as respectable by mainstream opinion at any given time.
What politicians such as Trump, Marine Le Pen and Farage have done is to shift that window, so policies once regarded as on the extreme right have moved into the mainstream.
France’s far right would like — henceforth — to be known simply as “the right”.
One can see the logic. The Rassemblement National, the far-right party, is well ahead in the polls for fast-approaching legislative elections in France. Meanwhile the traditional right is in meltdown. If the RN becomes the largest group in the French parliament in July, the party will have redefined French conservatism.
The question of whether to rebrand the far right as the right resonates well beyond France. There is a similar issue in the US, where Donald Trump has transformed the Republican party in his own image. The traditional pro-market, internationalist party of George HW Bush barely exists today. Trump’s “America First” nativism now commands the conservative movement.
Trump and his ilk have also pushed the Overton window on attitudes to Russia and Ukraine. Here the line between a new form of conservatism and far-right authoritarianism becomes more blurry. It is possible that the likes of Trump and Le Pen want to strike a deal with Russia because they are cold-blooded isolationists who do not believe support for Ukraine is in the national interest.
But their flirtation with Vladimir Putin could also reflect admiration for his authoritarianism.
.Here are the top political news stories for today.
Trump promised to protect the country by building well that Mexico will pay for. Instead, he could not even pay for it himself and there is no wall. Not that he was shy about spending money. He gave trillions away in tax cuts to his billionaire thief pals. National debt went up the most in a single term. He ended up inciting a treasonous invasion of DC himself. That's his version of protecting the country.
Why do the far right fall for this c$rap? Because they are braindead? Their leaders can't even deliver on minimums of their hate filled promises. Now Trump says he will deport millions of Latin Americans. He will instead take a bribe from some drug lord or Mexican or Colombian pol and illegal immigration will increase even more.
@SheepTedRepublican2yrs2Y
Liberal policies for decades have produced a misplaced sense of entitlement within group identities. You are one example. Get ready to learn the real world.
@InspiringPantherPatriot2yrs2Y
The definition of Far Right…
A). Anybody who disagrees with Govt policy.
B). Anybody who does not endorse unlimited immigration.
C). Anybody who endorses fiscal responsibility.
@Centr1stBrooklynForward2yrs2Y
The problem is, there seems to be increasingly a dichotomy (rather than a spectrum) between wall-building anti-immigration and completely open borders "nobody is illegal" pro-immigration opinions.
The centre-right and centre-left politicians in Europe and the US have failed to make the case for any kind of sensible level of immigration, and rightly or wrongly the electorate in more or less every nation does not want uncontrolled mass immigration.
In a world where the Conservatives say "we will get net migration down below 100,000" and then deliver net migration >700,000, you can see why more extreme controls on immigration seem appealing (to an electorate that does not like mass immigration).
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
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